Battery-powered electronic devices, for example, portable communication devices, may need to operate in hazardous locations. For example, public safety personnel may need to communicate via radio in an area that contains flammable gases. To comply with applicable regulations, some battery-powered electronic devices are powered with hazardous location (“Hazloc”) batteries. Such batteries include active limiting circuits to monitor and control current and voltage within the batteries to comply with the applicable regulations. The active limiting circuits are on even when the battery containing them is removed from the electronic device. The operation of these circuits may drain power from the battery, during shipping and storage. Some active limiting circuits feature fault tolerance and redundant components, which further contributes to the power drain.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.